Fluorescent light socket



p 1950 w. L. KELMAN 2,522,044

FLUORESCENT LIGHT SOCKET Filed March 29, 1947 Patented Sept. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE t 2 2,522,044 I FLUORESCENT LIGHT SOCKET William L. Kehnan, Providence, a. 1-; Application March 29, 1947, Serial No. 738,158

3 Claims. (01. 173-328) ,The present invention relates to the l h in art, and has particular reference to a novel construction for a fluorescent light socket.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved socket construction for a fluorescent light tube. i I

Another object of the invention is to provide a fluorescent light socket. which has a rotatable pin receiving element.

A further object of the invention is to provide afluorescent light socket which has improved guide means for guiding fluorescent tube end pins into a rotatable pinreceiving element.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a fluorescent light-socket having a rotatable pin receiving element with parts for releasably holding the rotatable element in pin receiving position.

An additional objectof the invention is to provide a fluorescent light socket having a rotatable pin receiving element with apin end orienting recess.

With the above andother objects and ad-.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the novel socket,

the tube pins being shown in section as guided into the socket receiving slots and in non-contact position; i 1-,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing Fig. 2 with the 'front face cut away;.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, the rotatable pin carrier and the pins being turned 180 degrees to contact position; J

Fig. 5 is aview similartoFig. 2-, the rotatable pin carrier being removed to disclose the pin end orienting recess in the socket body;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

.Fig. '7 is a perspective rear view of the socket b'ody;"

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the rotatable pin carrier;

Fig. 9 is a rear view of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a vertical section on the line Ill-l0 of Fig. 8; and

2 Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one spring contact blade.

It has been found desirable to provide an improved socket for a fluorescent light tube, which has a guide member for guiding the tube end pins into spaced slots in a rotatable pin carrier, the pin carrier being releasably locked in pin receiving position and being rotatable upon insertion of the tube pins to move the pins into contact with spring contact blades, it being preferred toguide the pins in an orientation recess during their rotation and to releasably lock the parts in their contact position. To this end, I provide a socket which has two spaced slotsto receive the spaced end pins of a fluorescent tube, the socket body having an upstanding guide element between the slots to facilitate entry of the pins therein; the pins are received in a rotatable member and seat in an orientation recess, the member being rotated by manually turning the tube, whereupon the pins swing in the orientation recess and snap into engagement with spaced spring contact blades to energize the fluorescent tube. The parts are preferably arranged to releasably snap lock the rotatable member in pin-receiving and in blade contact positions, whereby the insertion, contacting, and removal operations are facilitated.

Referringto the drawings, the socket I0 is adapted to be secured to a support, not shown,

in standard manner in spaced relation to a similar socket, for receiving a fluorescent tube H having spaced end pins l2, l3 of standard type.

The socket I0 includes a hollow type body portion 14, preferably of molded material, having a rear cover I5 secured thereto, as by screws, to conceal the operating parts. The body portion includes a generally rectangular housing I6 and a base H, the housing having a rounded upp r portion I8 which has a circular recess l9 having a co-axial annular orientation groove 2:), the upper portion of the recess flange 21 having spaced entrance slots 22. 23 and a rounded interthe disk25 having spaced slots 21, 28 which are in alignment with the entrance slots 22, 23 when t rt sgedn the position shown in Figs 2 andmil ra-Thei slots extend downwardly to the center line oi the disk, as illustrated, and the rear surface of the disk 25 has a cam portion 29, see Fig. 9, which is provided with two spaced edge recesses 30, 31 for receiving the pins 12,

I3 when they are moved into the slots 21, 28, the cam portion having a wide end 32 with two additional spaced edge recesses 33, 34, and a narrow end 35 which has cut away side portions 36, 31.

The body portion M has a central partition 38, see Fig. 3, which divides the interior into two chambers 39, 43 which communicate with the recess l9 at their upperendacontact blades 4|, 42 being respectively seated in 'thecham'bers-3B, 40. The contact blades have flat bottom plates 43, see Fig. 11, central shaped portions 44, and curved contact fiingers 45 which have bends 46 at their juncture with the central portion 44 and reversely bent terminal portion 41,; the plates 43 ar mounted on ledges 48 in the socket base l1,

4 the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be made to suit the requirements for different fluorescent tube installations, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fluorescent light socket comprising a housing having contact blades mounted therein, said blades including a resilient body portion and contact fingers, said housing, having a recess and an orientation groove, a rotatable member seated in said recess and having spaced slots for reand carry wire connecting screws 49, and th'e contact fingers 45 extend into the recess [9 as illustrated, suitable tension being imparted to the central portions 44 by abutments 50 projecting laterally towards the partition 38 fromthe inner surfaces of the housing 56.

' With the parts in the positio'ns shown in Fig. 3, the blade bends 4'6 snap seat in the edge recesses 33, 34 and the blade contact'fingers are thus urged towards the sides of'the' recess [9 to clear the way for the insertion of the fluorescent tube pins and to not be contacted:by' the pins. The natural resilience of the blades also resiliently ceiving the end pins of a fluorescent light, said end pins-being seated in said orientation groove, saidblades and said member having cooperating parts for releasably retaining said member in pin-receiving position, and means whereby rotation oi, .said member operates to contact the end pins with said contact blades.

locks the disk 25 in the position illustrated in project; as the disk turns the'pin ends travel in the groove 29 and are thus kept in alignment and parallel relation and seated against the spaced cam edge recesses 33, 31. The orientation groove may, if desired, be omitted; th recess I-9 must then be made deeper andthe disk 25 must be made thicker, to compensate.

The turning movementof the disk to contact position also serves 'toprovide a rigid support for the pin ends and closes the entrance slots to lock'the pin ends in place, thus eliminating falling out of the fluorescent tube, as the disk must be rotatable 180 before the pin ends are released from the sockets.

Although I have disclosed the spring blades as having projecting bends and the cam portion of the rotatable disk as having cooperating rec'esses to hold the disk in pin receiving position, it is obvious that the cam portion may be provided with projecting members to cooperate with recesses ordepressions in the spring blades, for the same purpose. x

It is thus evident that I have provided a simple and effective socket arrangement for fluorescent light tubes, and which has a rotatable pin re ceiving disk which is snap retained in pin-receiving position, and turns with the pins through 180 to snap contact the pins with spring contactblades, the parts being simple to construct'and assemble and being rugged in operation. i While I have described a specificembodiment of the invention, it is obvious that-"changes in.

2. A fluorescent light socket comprising a housing having contact blades mounted therein, said blades includinga resilient body portion and contact fingers, said housing having a recess and an orientation groove, a rotatable member seated in said recess and having spaced slots for receiving the end pins of a fluorescent light and positioning said end pins in said orientation groove, said blades and said member having cooperating parts for releasably retaining said member in pinreceiving position, said housing having guide means for guiding the pins into the spaced slots. of the rotatable member, and means whereby rotation of said member operates to contact the end pins with contact blades.-

' 3. A fluorescent light socket comprising a housing having contact blades mounted therein, said blades including'a resilient body portion and contact fingers extending from the body portionand having a projection at the juncture of the fingers with the body portion, said housing having a circular recess, a rotatable disk seated in said recess and having spaced slots for receiving the end pins of a fluorescent light, said disk having a cam element with spaced recesses and spaced cut away portions, said spaced recesses cooperating with said blade projections to resiliently retain the rotatable disk with its slots in pin receiving position and to hold the blade fingers from contacting engagement with the pins, and said cut away portions receiving said blade projections when the disk is rotated to permit movement of the blades into contacting engagement, with the pins.

' I WILLIAM L. KELMAN.

REFER NCES CITED The following references are of record in, the file of this. patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

